


Institutional Failure

by CMMLovr



Series: Newsroom Fanfic Challenge 2015 [5]
Category: The Newsroom
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-18
Updated: 2015-05-18
Packaged: 2018-03-31 03:46:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,099
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3963211
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CMMLovr/pseuds/CMMLovr
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Will fires Mac during Unintended Consequences rather than Election Night. Based on May's prompt for the Newsroom Fanfic Challenge 2015: Will fires Mackenzie.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Institutional Failure

“Is it worth it, Mac?” growls Will tiredly, “Is whatever story you’re working on with Jerry worth the interview that Jim just squandered in New Hampshire?” 

Mac curses internally, grimacing at the realisation that Will’s somehow found out about this before she’s had the chance to run damage control with Jim. She’s only just barely received the phone call from Taylor Warren, so she assumes that the press liaison must’ve called Will first and he’s been stewing ever since. He presses a hip into her desk, towering over her seated form intimidatingly. Blinking slowly, Mac lowers her eyes towards her desk top before returning them warily to Will’s unblinking, unflinching gaze.

“What do you mean: is it worth it? The two are mutually exclusive. Jim is in New Hampshire because – well, you know why. Jerry’s story has nothing to do with Jim’s actions, nor does it have anything to do with why Jim’s there in the first place!” argues Mac, hoping desperately that Will will just accept her answer without pushing further.

“For fuck’s sake, Mac, you know what I mean! Jerry wouldn’t have lasted more than a week here if he hadn’t plucked this story out of his ass, and Jim would’ve been here – in this newsroom, where he belongs – rather than wasting company time, money and resources on the Romney Campaign. I mean, we’ve got dozens of reporters capable of covering a Campaign, and they probably would’ve done it _without_ getting kicked off the bus and giving away a _half-hour interview_ with the Governor. This is just fucking insane!” Frustration clings to the crevices of his features, his tone steely as he berates Mac, expecting a better answer than coyness.

Grinding her teeth, Mac realises Will’s position – he knows nothing about the story; to him, Jim’s absence means nothing more than an irrational delegation of responsibilities. Most Senior Producers do not volunteer to cover a Campaign – it’s not exactly Peabody worthy stuff – and she can understand that he’s irritated because, where he would normally have a Senior Producer covering stories and making sure that they’re up to her standards, he now has a lot of Junior Staffers covering the same workload whilst Jim’s replacement chases his own story.

“Jim’s in New Hampshire because that’s where he had to be – I understand that he fucked up, and I’m ordering him to come back tonight. As for the story – Will, you’re going to want to do this one, if it’s really true; you’re desperately going to want this one. I can’t say any more – you know that – but trust me, Will. Please, just trust that I know what I’m doing.” A hint of desperation enters Mac’s tone. This story has been taking everything out of her – just the possibility that the US Army may have committed such reprehensible criminal acts is enough to make her sick – and that is exactly why the public needs to be informed.

“Where has trusting you gotten me, Mac? We lost an interview with Governor Romney – an interview that would’ve put us ahead in ratings and helped us along after all the information ACN seems to have missed while Jim ‘did his own thing’ and got kicked off the bus -  and we covered Occupy Wall Street for sheer entertainment value. Not only that, but when I put that Shelly person in her place, you came to my office and asked me to apologise for the sake of _the story_. I can’t even begin to comprehend what’s happening right now, Mackenzie.” Will’s rage is barely simmering beneath the surface of his self-imposed calm. Meanwhile, Mac glances contritely at Will, acknowledging that some less than stellar things have happened in Jim’s absence.

“Will, this story’s a big one – but we’re still gathering information. We needed you to apologise to Ms. Wexler for the story. I’m sorry if that contradicts your values as an anchor, but let me remind you that _trusting me_ has made our show one hundred percent better than it was before I came back. You need to trust me, Will.”

“You told me to trust Jim – you told me that he’s a good guy and a better producer. I’m not seeing that today, Mac. I’m seeing a monumental fuck up who did this because of some girl. And I’ll tell you, Kenzie, that doesn’t inspire much faith in you, since you’re his principal supporter here.”

Will’s words sting Mac’s pride, and she takes a moment to gather herself; inhaling deeply, she holds the breath before releasing it slowly as she wills her hurt and anger to dissipate before she replies.

“If you can’t trust me, Will, trust Charlie. He’s fully aware of what we’re working on, and he approves.”

“Does he approve of Jim being on the Romney bus? ‘Cos, I gotta tell you, that’s a pretty hard sell you’re trying to pitch right now.”

Mac almost groans in frustration – it’s true, after all, that Charlie had mentioned Jim’s trip to New Hampshire just this morning. Sighing, Mac gently rubs her temples, watching as Will flexes his hands instinctively. She can tell by the way he’s fidgeting that he’s desperate for a cigarette, but hasn’t given in to the temptation out of respect for her dislike of the smoke.

“Look, I’m not saying that he’s thrilled that Jim’s in New Hampshire right now-”

“Cut the bullshit, Mac. You know that this is just one incident in months of less-than professional behaviour. Just last week I had to handle Nina Howard’s nosing around the Nine-Eleven broadcast _again._ Now, I’ve trusted you, and I’ve trusted Jim – and I can’t say that I’ve seen any benefit to it.”

“As far as I can tell, you’ve not had anything to complain about with regard to Nina Howard,” retorts Mac bitterly, “and you’re only saying that you can’t trust us because of what you think these past few months have done to your image! Yes, Jim cocked up – there’s no denying it – but to say that we’ve done nothing for you is utter horseshit, and you know it!” Mac slaps her palm down on the desk top, upsetting the carafe of coffee that had been sitting precariously close to the edge of her desk. “Fuck,” she murmurs, mopping up the spilled coffee with some tissues.

“Why do you have papers on chemical weapons, Mac?” asks Will quietly, clearly seething.

“That’s – a personal interest. Nothing for you to concern yourself with,” attempts Mac, hoping to pacify Will and save the situation before the story’s revealed.

“Who’s your source?” growls Will, glaring at Mac distrustfully.

“I can’t tell you anything about the fucking story Will – we need you to be on the red team on this and you need to stop being such a fucking baby!”

Mac stops abruptly, gazing wide-eyed at Will to gauge his reaction. For a beat, silence fills the office, more noticeable due to the noise that had filled the air moments previously. Despite the fact that she is frustrated with Will, and visibly so, she looks as though she might cry, knowing the similarity in her words to those uttered by his father. Words that he’d recounted only when they’d been at their most intimate.

“Mac, you’re fired.” Will’s voice is stony, his expression cold and shocked as the phrase seems to leave his mouth before he’s fully conscious of it. “Finish the week and then you’re done – I don’t give a fuck if we’re understaffed, and I couldn’t care less if Charlie himself comes down here. You have no right to speak to me like that, and I’ve had it with your insubordination.”

Trembling, Mac nods and says nothing, her eyes shining with tears Will’s sure she’ll shed once he’s left her office. Turning on his heel, Will makes his way out of her office swiftly and without pause – he has nothing more to say to Mac, and feels that he is justified in his actions. Quietly, Mac allows her tears to fall, her hand coming up to cover her mouth as she chokes back a sob. They’d been treading a fine line in their relationship these past few months, and Mac’s fairly certain that she’s just crossed it _again._ For the last time. Glancing up to check that her blinds are shut, she’s relieved to see that they are before hastily wiping the tear tracks from beneath her eyes before reaching for her laptop. Selecting the Skype icon, Mac calls Jim, waiting impatiently for him to pick up. 

As soon as he does, and the room is at least partially cleared, Mac spits: “Taylor just called me, and presumably Will, did you just give away an interview with Romney? Actually, don’t answer that. You know exactly how fucked up it is that you gave it away, and that you gave it to a girl you _like-_ ”

“It’s not exactly like that, but it was definitely wrong and I apologise and, wait – Will already knows?”

“You bet he does. And now I’ve got to pull you off and bring you back home,” replies Mac with frustration.

“I understand,” replies Jim resignedly.

 “Well I don’t! Look, I know that you and Maggie – and I’m assuming Lisa’s involved in this, too – had some misunderstanding, but you’re needed back here Jim, especially if I’m going to be gone-”

“Hold up – Will fired you?” Jim’s voice rings with fury and indignation. Punishing him he would understand; after all, he did just give away an interview to Hallie because he hadn’t liked the way her boss had treated her. But to punish Mac for his actions? Typical Will, acting out against Mac and blaming her (as if she doesn’t already blame herself enough for the both of them).

Mac signs off without another word, hanging up on Jim and leaving him to stare blankly at his screen. Standing from her position behind the desk, Mac begins reaching for her belongings, gathering her papers into folders; Operation Genoa – those would go to Jerry and the other staffers working on the story, personal interest – she would take those home and continue her research independently, and all of the other miscellaneous pieces of paper she seems to have accumulated over the last year and a half. She’s only been searching through her papers for mere minutes when her phone rings, and she groans, hoping that it’s nothing serious.

“Mac, Maggie and Gary are coming back tonight – something went wrong in Uganda.” Charlie sounds grim on the other end, and panic grips Mac’s heart at the thought that she might be responsible for wrecking another two people’s lives.

 _Fuck._ Just the phone call she needs right now.

“How wrong? Are they injured?” concern floods her voice as she anxiously awaits Charlie’s response.

“Physically, they’re both fine. They’ve reported in and they should be home tonight, mentally, they’ll probably have to see a company recommended psychiatrist, maybe even a psych-eval.”

“Shit. What happened?” Somehow, Mac’s hands have found their way to her mouth, and she finds herself absently gnawing on one of her fingernails – an old habit she’d hoped that she’d managed to kick a long time ago.

“You’ll be filled in by HR tomorrow – for tonight, I think you’ve got your hands full with Deet and his ‘story’. Check in later, Mac.”

Swallowing audibly, Mac says nothing about Will’s termination of her contract, instead simply leaving Charlie with a promise to check in later before hanging up. Sighing resignedly, Mac picks back up where she left off and begins packing away everything that isn’t related to Genoa – she still has a few more hours before her working day is over, and she’ll try her best to help while she’s still an employee at ACN.

Hours (and a phone interview with Deet) later, Mac spots Will leaving his office and decides that it’s probably safe for her to visit Charlie without running the risk of bumping into Will and irritating him further. On the way to Charlie’s, Mac grabs Jerry and they both make their way upstairs to check in, as requested by Charlie.

In spite of everything that he said to Mac, Will is still intent on apologising to Ms. Wexler for his treatment of her. Or perhaps it’s because of everything he said to Mac, as Will realises that they still have some unresolved issues that have had _unintended consequences_ on their current professional relationship. He finds himself stewing as he sits outside Shelly’s lecture; pensively (or, rather, obsessively) sorting through his thoughts about what happened in Mac’s office. With some guilt, he notes that he made several comments that were unwarranted, and he shifts uncomfortably in his seat as he recalls them. While it is true that Mac has been the root of several quasi-comic mishaps in his newsroom, it was grossly unfair of him to say that he can no longer trust her, and he is fully (and uncomfortably) aware of that fact. With some irritation, he can also recognise that he shouldn’t have fired Mac; that it wasn’t her fault that Jim had decided to behave like a horny teenager and that Jerry seems to be trying to get himself a Peabody during his (hopefully) short stay in New York. Gritting his teeth, Will does his utmost to quell his churning thoughts, long enough to hear Ms. Wexler’s question and yell it through the open door of the classroom.

One apology at a time.

 

* * *

 

Somewhat relieved that Will doesn’t seem to have returned from wherever he went about an hour ago, Mac returns to her office quietly, ensuring that her blinds are fully drawn before resuming her packing. While she can understand why Will fired her – her comment was completely insubordinate (and not the first she’s made) – she does think that he overreacted slightly. Still, she doesn’t want to push him now that it’s happened, and to be quite frank, she’s surprised that he hadn’t done it earlier. Grinding her teeth, she gathers a mess of papers into a pile and dumps them unceremoniously into a box marked ‘Misc’. She starts when a knock reverberates around her office, and moves quickly to open the door, surprised that anyone is at the office at this time, considering the hour. When she finds herself face to face with Jim, her surprise leaves her and she almost groans with frustration. She had intended to be gone before he got back – not to have _this_ discussion that she knows they will inevitably have in her office.

“Jim-”

“He fired you?” Jim interrupts her weak attempt at greeting him, his ire clearly visible.

“Yes. Though that’s hardly surprising given everything that’s happened in the past few months, don’t you think?” Mac intends to sound understanding, but her tone falls short at sarcasm. In reality, she knows that she can’t take all the blame, but she will if it means that the staffers she’s worked so hard to bring up to par get to stay.

“Because of me. He fired you because of me. Shit, Mac, I’m so sorry – I’ll talk to him, beg him to fire me instead. It was my actions – you had nothing to do with it –”

“Jim, I’m not going to let you resign – or ask to be fired instead of me. I need someone I can trust to keep this show going where it needs to be going, and I know that Will’s gotten better; he wants to do the news now, but he still needs a push every now and then. You _need_ to take over, Jim, and you need to make sure that Dantana’s kept under control. He’s got a story going – and you’ll be on the red team when the time comes – but you need to make sure that he doesn’t act rashly in pursuit of the story. You need to be here, Jim.”

“I can’t let you take the fall for what I did in New Hampshire, Mac! How can you even think that any of this is your fault?!”

“I let you go, didn’t I? I gave you your Peshawar when you needed it, instead of sending an underqualified staffer looking to get a break. Now, it’s your turn to get back in the saddle and take this show in the right direction.”

“You can’t just pass the torch on to me, Mac! You have to fight this – you have to get Charlie involved; he’ll talk some sense into Will!”

“It’s done, Jim. I’m done. I’m too tired for this – I have been since we came back. This was my last shot, and Charlie very graciously gave it to me, but I’m done.”

Making a noise of utter frustration, Jim meets Mac’s eye belligerently. “What about Maggie, and Gary? I just ran into Maggie, Mac, and she’s looking in bad shape. Are you going to take responsibility for her, too? Why not just take the blame for everything that’s gone wrong in this newsroom for the last year? That’s what you’re doing, isn’t it?”

Sighing wearily, Mac raises her palms in a placating gesture, hoping to calm Jim and get more information about Maggie from him. Instead, he storms out of her office, slamming the glass door behind him as he leaves. Mac glances down at her desk top, guilt gnawing her insides as she realises that Jim had unintentionally given her one more reason for leaving; whatever happened to Maggie, it _was_ her fault. She’d sent them both to Uganda with nothing more than a crumpled bill and the instruction to ‘stay safe’. She’d failed her team, and whatever fallout Maggie has to deal with is on her head. The thought alone is enough to drive her from her office, where she feels the glass walls stifling her. She strides quickly through the newsroom, looking for the one place in this building that she will always feel comfortable; her control room.

Unfortunately, it seems that it is already occupied, and as Mac stumbles in she meets Maggie’s dull eyes. Upon seeing her, the younger woman bursts into tears, and though Mac had been looking for a place of solace, she finds herself comforting Maggie instead; providing her with the  consolation that she herself so desperately requires.  Mac doesn’t push for Maggie to tell her anything – she knows that she’ll get the story from Jim or Don once they’ve all been debriefed by HR in the morning. Instead, she slides down with her back against the wall and takes Maggie into her arms, rubbing her hand gently down her back as she cradles her softly. She had wished for someone to do this for her when she’d returned from Islamabad, but had found cold walls and an empty apartment instead. She’s glad that she can at least do this for Maggie before she leaves, and feels guilt overwhelming her once more as she realises that, to the younger woman, her departure will look like nothing more than abandonment. It is then that Mac resolves to fight for her position with Will – she needs to be in her newsroom to support her staffers – to keep an eye on Maggie and to make sure that Jim is doing his best without overstepping the bounds in her name. She needs to keep control of Jerry and make sure that his story doesn’t evolve into some fantastical shit-storm. Shushing Maggie softly, Mac runs a hand through her hair and is surprised when Maggie retracts immediately, as though Mac had physically injured her. Wordlessly, Mac removes her hand from Maggie’s hair, placing it instead comfortingly on her shoulder and squeezing gently, anchoring Maggie in the present and away from the memories already threatening to drown her.

Half an hour passes in silence before Mac hears Maggie sniffling quietly. Shifting her gently in her arms, Mac is careful not to jostle Maggie too much, not wanting her to get the wrong impression.

“Are you alright?” Mac chastises herself the moment the question leaves her lips: of course she’s not _alright._ She probably won’t be _alright_ for a while.

Maggie sniffs loudly before pulling away from Mac and coiling her body into itself tightly. Turning to meet Mac’s eye in what she hopes is a reassuring manner, she nods once before murmuring; “I’m good. Thanks, Mac.”

What Maggie’s thanking Mac for goes unspoken, but the older woman understands without her having to vocalise it.

“Any time, Maggie. And I mean that, okay?”

Maggie nods absently, staring into the space in front of her without verbalising her acknowledgement of Mac’s words. A few more minutes pass in silence before a gentle knock fills the air, Will’s hand resting on the doorjamb as he looks in on Mac and Maggie, seated together on the floor. Having glanced up to see who had knocked, Mac lowers her gaze uncomfortably to the floor.

“Mac, can I have a minute?” Will’s voice is soft, guilty, almost, though Mac doesn’t know why he might be feeling that way.

Sighing, Mac stands slowly, dreading this conversation. She’d been hoping to talk to him tomorrow morning, to beg for her job back – in a dignified manner, of course. Instead, he’s asked her for a word, and she’s not sure how it’s going to pan out – she’s not sure of anything, anymore. Nodding silently, Mac glances back at Maggie, making sure that she’s alright before leaving the control room and wordlessly leading Will to her office. Once inside, Mac turns to face Will, a spark of defiance igniting the depths of her darkened eyes.

“I want you to know, Will, before you say anything – I intend to fight for my job. I’m not just going to leave – I can’t, not now. I understand that what I did-”

“I came to apologise, Mac. I wanted to rescind my actions from earlier today.” Will’s sincerity overtly baffles Mac, and for the briefest of seconds Will feels a pang of guilt mixed with anger and shame. What had he done to make her think that he’s some unforgiving asshole?

Oh, yeah.

Sighing tiredly, Will scrubs his forehead with the heel of his hand before continuing, “I’m sorry. I overreacted, and I know that you can’t tell me about your story, but I’ve heard rumours, and I’m worried, Mac.”

His honesty startles her, and Mac meets his eye sadly, “I’m sorry for what I said – I was out of line and you had every reason to be upset.”

For the moment, Will’s comment about the story passes without a remark from Mac. She doesn’t want to know what he’s heard – anything he tells her could taint how she pursues the story from here on out. Instead, she allows herself to feel relief at the fact that she won’t be begging for her job come tomorrow morning.

“What made you change your mind?” enquires Mac hesitantly.

Will looks her dead in the eye for a beat, gauging how seriously he wants to answer. He responds with the simplest truth:

“A conversation with Shelly Wexler.”

Surprised but doing her best to hide it, Mac raises a brow at Will’s honesty, smiling slightly when he shrugs his shoulders almost imperceptibly. She’d forgotten this side of him, in the angst and frustrations of the latest story. She’d forgotten that he could be charmingly sincere – could accept when he’d had a part in the wrongdoing.

Taking her small smile as a sign of forgiveness, Will allows his own lips to quirk upwards; to reciprocate the gesture.

Though he’s not sure that their relationship will ever return to what it once was, Will is willing to make the effort to build a new friendship and partnership with Mac based on their current professional successes. Romantically, he thinks that he might pursue Nina Howard after all. Although he’s certain that she can never make him feel the way Mac once did, it might be good for him to move on – even if Mac remains a constantly lingering thought.

Glancing down at her shoes, Mac wonders if she and Will can ever repair their relationship properly – to heal at least their friendship and move forwards. She feels lost; the man she could once read as well as she could any iNews alert has become a conundrum. Sadly, she returns her eyes to his penetrating gaze, startled to find that his eyes had never left her features. Shrugging tiredly, Mac takes Will’s shoulder in her hand and pulls him closer, hugging him briefly before returning to her desk and sighing at the sight of her half-packed belongings.

She lives to fight another day in her newsroom, and maybe that’s all that matters, for now.

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys!  
> Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it :) If you did, please leave a review and let me know what you think!  
> And thanks, as always, to Lilacmermaid for the prompt :)


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